Americana Festival to feature Edwards, Cleave, Sorrow Laura Cortese

fosters.com

Writer

Posted Jul. 5, 2013 at 3:03 PM
Updated Jul 5, 2013 at 3:04 PM

Posted Jul. 5, 2013 at 3:03 PM
Updated Jul 5, 2013 at 3:04 PM

PORTSMOUTH — On Saturday, July 7, Prescott Park Arts Festival will host the Americana Festival on the FairPoint Communications MainStage as part of their summer music series in Prescott Park. Starting at 1 p.m., enjoy a stellar line-up of artists consisting of Jonathan Edwards, Slaid Cleaves, Joy Kills Sorrow, and Laura Cortese Quartet.

“This year’s Showcase Festival is particularly special because we have both new and returning artists coming to perform. Knowing the caliber of performances that Edwards and Cleaves put on combined with highly anticipated performances from newcomers like Joy Kills Sorrow and Laura Cortese, makes for a truly entertaining afternoon of music,” says Executive Director Ben Anderson.

The word “legend” is often used to describe veteran folk singer Jonathan Edwards, whose 1971 million-selling song Sunshine brought him instant fame. He has acquired an enviable track record, one of skill and grace in the sometimes brutal world of the music business. He started out opening for such acts like the Allman Brothers Band and B.B. King. His career went on to include albums with Emmylou Harris, Jimmy Buffet, and Christine Lavin, a gig narrating the successful PBS travel series, Cruising America’s Waterways, and a lead in the Broadway musical Pumpboys and Dinettes. His latest CD features a photo taken from his most recent memorable performance in Portsmouth’s own Prescott Park.

Slaid Cleave is returning to his original New England stomping grounds from his current home in Texas. Called “one of the finest songwriters” by The New York Times, Slaid Cleaves has a reputation for sincere and intimate live performances. His song Broke Down won Best Song of the Year at the Austin Music Awards, and now, 20 years after his Southwest migration from Maine to Texas, he’s releasing his first live album “Sorrow & Smoke: Live at the Horseshoe Lounge.”

With its bold new brand of acoustic music, Joy Kills Sorrow will bring their decidedly modern sensibility to an old-world sound, channeling the prodigious talents of its individual members into elegant arrangements and well-crafted songs. While the group pays due homage to its Bluegrass roots, the band truly excels in its rich and textured treatment of more contemporary material. In a review, American Music praises, “In one song, they could completely bring down the house and transport the audience to a ho-down environment, then, within moments, singer Emma Beaton would switch from powerful to delicate vocals, carrying the crowd through the peaceful, rolling Appalachians.”

Opening up the festival will be Laura Cortese. She wields a fiddle like a rocker slings their guitar, and sings with even more swagger. Cortese studied violin at Berklee College of Music and has since immersed herself in the Boston’s vibrant indie music scene. She has made appearances with Band of Horses, Pete Seeger, Patterson Hood and Michael Franti, Laura Cortese is among the most intriguing and versatile musicians on the scene today, and promises a stand out debut performance in the Park.

The Americana Festival is the first of a fantastic summer line up of genre based music festivals that feature artists from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Mark your calendars for the Showcase Festival (July 13), Jazz Festival (July 7), Folk Festival (July 26), the Country Festival (August 3), and Roots and Rhythm Festival (August 10).

Tables on the Federal Savings Bank VIP Seating Deck are available for reservations through Prescott Park’s website, in addition to the blanket reservations in front of the FairPoint Communications MainStage. Special discount pricing is available for Festival members.

In the event that the Festival’s limited seating areas are sold out for the Americana Festival, all are encouraged and welcomed to bring blankets and chairs to the Park to enjoy the show. As with all of Prescott Park Arts Festival’s family-friendly events, the Music Festivals in Prescott Park are free and open to the public, with a suggested donation of $5-$8 at the gate.

Prescott Park Arts Festival, a nonprofit organization, is the Seacoast’s premier outdoor performing arts venue, offering a uniquely accessible experience of high quality live theater and music — no fixed admissions fees — in an idyllic natural setting. For more information contact Ben Anderson at (603)-436-2848 or info@prescottpark.org.